RFL salutes Sir Billy Boston

Oldham official John Chadwick, the club's former chairman and secretary, has responded to the Rugby Football League's congratulations to Billy Boston following the news that he is to be made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE), and become Sir William John Boston KBE.

John is not on the board at the current Oldham club, but as vice-president and Bill Quinn's personal mentor, and someone Mike Ford wanted involved, he is close to the club and its direct link with he club's glorious past.

Said John:

"Billy Boston is synonymous with the great game we watch and love and he used to say that Oldham in the 1950s was the best team he ever played against – and that's some tribute from a player like Billy B."

Tony Sutton, the Chief Executive of the RFL, said:

“On behalf of the Rugby Football League, and the sport of Rugby League, it is a privilege to congratulate Sir Billy Boston on his knighthood.

Sir Billy deserves to be recognised as an iconic figure in the history of British sport, for the way he overcame prejudice in his journey from working-class Cardiff to legendary status in Wigan, and became the most prolific British try-scorer in the 130-year history of Rugby League.

This recognition is also significant for Rugby League, as Sir Billy becomes the first person to be knighted as a direct result of his achievements in the sport.”

Sir Billy Boston was born in Cardiff on August 6, 1934, with family links to Ireland and Sierra Leone.

He signed for Wigan in March 1953 after originally coming north for military service in North Yorkshire, making his debut at Central Park eight months later for the first of 488 appearances for the club, in which he scored 478 tries, and was three times a winner in six Challenge Cup Final appearances at Wembley.

In 1954 he made history as the first non-white player to be selected for a Great Britain Rugby League Lions tour, scoring 36 tries in 18 appearances around Australia and New Zealand, including a then-record four in one match against the Kiwis.

He made two more Lions tours in 1958 and 1962 and ended with 24 tries in 31 Test appearances for Great Britain, with an additional 53 tries from 27 further tour appearances.

In total, Boston scored 571 tries in a career which ended at the age of 36, after a brief cameo with Blackpool Borough – second only in the history of Rugby League to Brian Bevan, an Australian who scored 796 between 1942 and 1964, mostly for Warrington.

He stayed in Wigan after retirement, as the licensee of The Griffin in Standishgate, near Central Park, until 1995.

He was awarded the MBE in 1996, and was one of the first inductees in the Rugby League Hall of Fame in 1998, joining the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame the following year.

He received the freedom of Wigan in 2000 and is immortalised in three statues, in Wigan, Wales and at Wembley.

Josh Simons, the MP for Makerfield – the constituency in which Sir Billy now lives – said:

“I'm so proud that Billy, my constituent, a hero of Rugby League, will now be Sir Billy Boston.

It's a special moment for his family, the town, and the sport. Presenting Billy with a letter about his knighthood was an emotional moment and I’m honoured to be supporting Billy and his family at the Palace.

Billy is a remarkable man. He was spurned by Cardiff and South Africa because of his race, but welcomed by Wigan and went on to be Rugby League’s greatest ever player.

Finally, Rugby League is getting the recognition it deserves, after years of being overlooked and belittled as a 'northern sport'. I’m so proud that Billy will forever be the first Rugby League player to be knighted. Nobody could be more deserving.”

David Baines MP, the Chair of Rugby League’s All-Party Parliamentary Group, added:

“I can think of no better candidate to become Rugby League’s first knight than Billy Boston. In his career and in his life he has overcome racial and class prejudice, achieving huge success on the pitch and leaving a lasting legacy in our communities and on our national sporting landscape.

It is a scandal that it has taken 130 years for a Rugby League player to be given the highest honour. As Chair of the APPG for Rugby League since last summer I’ve raised this in public and in private, and I would like to thank the Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, Makerfield MP Josh Simons, the Rugby Football League, and all those who have campaigned for this for so long.

I am absolutely delighted for Billy and his family and for our game as a whole. This is a huge moment, and I will be continuing to fight to make sure it isn’t the last time one of our players is recognised in this way. We have lots of very worthy candidates.

All my congratulations go to Sir Billy Boston MBE for this achievement. He has led the way throughout his life, and now he does so again. We should all be grateful."